13 Tips to Succeed in Photoblogging

As the old adage goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Cliche as it might be, the substance of a photo can weigh more than a blog post that merely describes it, which is why photo blogging has become the preferred method of blogging for a lot of people.
For those who wish to get into photo-blogging and do it well, there are plenty of things you can do to make your photo blog as attractive as possible.

1. Choose the Right Blogging Platform for You

Most blogging platforms let you run a photo blog just fine, but it's best to choose one that has features you're looking for. It must make posting and laying out your photos as easy and effortlessly as possible while still upholding image quality. You should also be able to do things like add categories and change themes to customize your photo blog to make it tailor-made for your content. In that sense, you should be able to know the appropriate blogging platform for your photo blog.

2. Use a Good Theme

A theme designed for photo blogging is not the same as that for regular blogging as the former would have different needs. For instance, it has to be in a color scheme that doesn't overwhelm the photos but make them easier to view. Also, the photos have to be easily seen and there shouldn't be too much of other stuff in the background that may distract from the photos themselves.

3. Put Your Photos in Categories and Use Tags

Make it easy for visitors to browse through your photos by using categories and tags that describe what the photo is about, where and in what occasion it was taken, whether it's in color or black and white, whether it's indoors or outdoors, or so on. Just make sure those categories and tags are relevant to the photo and that people can get the gist of them easily.

4. Write a Short Description for Each Photo

Pictures may indeed say a thousand words, but maybe a hundred more won't hurt. It need not be long at all, but it does indeed help to tell more of the story behind the taking of the photo and what it means to you. People appreciate stories, and adding one to each post in your photo blog should help make it more special. It shouldn't just be a place to dump your photos indiscriminately, after all.

5. Keep Them Relevant

Whatever subject your photo blog is focused on, make sure the photos you post are relevant to it. If you're running a food photo blog, make sure everything you post there is about food, cooking, restaurants, groceries, and so on. Posting something on it that strays from the topic can be distracting, which people won't appreciate.

6. Optimize Images for Speed

Since we're living in a time when broadband Internet speeds are easily accessible, there's no reason to wait. Therefore, you must make sure your photos can be loaded quickly while still maintaining overall image quality. Not only is this part of criteria for search engine optimization, but also to keep visitors from losing patience. File sizes should still be big enough for sufficient quality while small enough to not result in long loading times.

7. Include Information for SEO

Speaking of search engine optimization, image metadata is essential for SEO as it lets users find your photos more easily in search engines. You should include crucial information like date, time, and location of capture, as well as what camera was used, who took the picture, and so on. Setting them on your camera in advance helps to prevent further busywork, so all you really need is to think of appropriate titles.

8. Add a Personal Touch

It's your photo blog, so you must be able to inject your personality into it. Photo blogs aren't only about the beauty of shots, but also the motivation behind capturing those images as well. By adding your personal touch to the photo blog, you can better communicate that motivation

9. Aim for Mobile

Responsive design is a shoo-in for photo blogging as mobile is the most important platform in this realm. Most people view the Internet through their phones these days, as well as taking photos with them. The modern photography space has become democratized by the propagation of smartphones with cameras, and it's natural for people to browse and post in photo blogs through them as well.

10. Social Media

Of course, photo blogs are not much without their propagation in social media. Countless images are shared all the time on social media, which is why your photo blog must be shared through it as well. It's almost as if social media is the photo blog's natural habitat, and it can thrive more when shared with its particular niche. Having a Facebook page or a Twitter account for your photo blog, as well as sharing your every post on it can help make it more visible to a photo-crazy online crowd.

11. Headshot and Bio

People would want to know who the person behind the photos is. Having your headshot and bio right there for people to see without having it obscure or distract from the photos themselves can let visitors know who took those photos, thus adding to their stories. Knowing the person with the camera is an important part of appreciating the photos as art.

12. Protect Your Photos

Few things are worse to a photo blogger than finding the photos you've worked hard to shoot and refine being used by others without your permission. Photographic plagiarism is rife online, and it's your responsibility to make sure that you protect your photos. Watermarks and other methods are used to keep thieves at bay, as well as many other ways to leave your mark in every photo you decide to post online.

13. Be Consistent

Sporadic posting is just as bad as never posting photos on your photo blog at all. As the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee once said, "Long-term consistency beats short-term intensity." Always find time to post your photos on your photo blog, even if you have to schedule posts in a timely manner. As long as you have regular content that's relevant to your focus, your photo blog will always be interesting.

Conclusion

There are many factors involved in the making of a successful photo blog, but everything must start from somewhere. Think of the aforementioned tips as foundation for your photo-blogging endeavor. By following them, you can build things up and take your photo blog to new heights.